


The Hopeless Love Life of Charles Summers

by Tiny_Dragongirl



Category: To the Ends of the Earth - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Close Quarters, First Kiss, Idiots in Love, M/M, Miscommunication, Oxford, Rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29352846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiny_Dragongirl/pseuds/Tiny_Dragongirl
Summary: Or, maybe not so hopeless after all.
Relationships: Charles Summers/Edmund Talbot
Kudos: 1





	The Hopeless Love Life of Charles Summers

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by [flannelgiraffe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannelgiraffe/pseuds/flannelgiraffe). Thank you so much!

When Edmund emerged from the bathroom, his skin flushed pink and his auburn curls still wet from his hot shower, Charles couldn’t suppress a fond smile.

“That was most refreshing. Thank you for the opportunity.”

“You’re welcome.” Awkwardly, Charles gestured at his bed while he gingerly took a seat on the edge of the armchair that should have been fixed ages ago. At least his room was clean. “Let’s hope that the rain will abate soon.”

“Are you that eager to get rid of me? Is it so horrible to be in such close quarters with me?”

Charles blushed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Relax, I’m just teasing.” With a contented sigh, Edmund leant back and got comfortable on Charles’ pillow. “May I order a pizza to express my gratitude to you for offering me shelter?”

“Er, I think no delivery guy in their right mind would bring us pizza in this torrential rain.”

“So true. What was I thinking?”

The trouble with Edmund Talbot was that he could be very obtuse but in an endearing way.

“You’re hungry. Why don’t I make something for dinner? That is, if the spaghetti didn’t get wet.”

Charles was half-way back home from shopping when a sudden and heavy rain started to fall. Fumbling with his bags, he had managed to open his umbrella and make his way back to his college rooms at Cowley Place when he spotted Edmund riding his bike, already soaked to the bone— and still far away from the campus. With considerable shouting and gesturing in the middle of the street, Charles got Edmund’s attention and offered his room. And supplied him with a fresh towel and dry clothes. And blushed furiously while trying not to think of Edmund under the shower.

To fall for Edmund Talbot of all people was just another wicked joke the Universe decided to play on Charles Summers. When the two had first met, the PPE fresher and the Mathematics graduate, Edmund had tried to make a good impression and failed royally. He was as proud as a peacock and preferred to express himself in overcomplicated, endless sentences. With the confidence of his public school upbringing and his young age, he liked to judge others hastily and often incorrectly— yet, much to their surprise, he found Charles worthy of his precious attention. For his part, Charles considered Edmund a sweet prig.

That, until he had started to spend more time in Edmund’s company and found himself not exactly falling but slowly spiralling down into love with this impossible boy.

Early in their budding friendship they discovered that both of them liked to take long walks in the Botanical Garden, which soon turned into a habit: strolling among the plants and talking about anything that came to their minds. Or, mostly Edmund talking about his long-distance girlfriend (some schoolgirl from Gloucester) and Charles listening, while jealousy chewed at his heart. Yes, those were  _ fun _ times—then Edmund and Marion split up, and Charles couldn’t stop cursing himself neither for his previous envy, nor for the little spark of joy. He had no reasons to feel so strongly about the (past) relationships of his very straight friend.

“No, thank you. I’m not hungry yet. Maybe later, but only if you’ll let me help.”

“I didn’t know you could cook.”

“I can’t.” Edmund shrugged, then patted the bed. “Come over here. You’ve been moaning about that armchair for weeks; I know it’s not fit for sitting.”

Reluctantly, Charles rose and relocated himself to the bed at a carefully measured distance from Edmund— which was immediately ruined when Edmund inched closer and gave him a wide grin.

“How do I look?”

He was wearing a knitted, navy blue sweater and a pair of worn jeans from Charles’ wardrobe, and seeing his own clothes on this ridiculously loveable man-child made Charles’ chest swell with a surge of possessiveness. The problem was that Edmund looked too good in these clothes, and when he decided to lean into Charles’ personal space, emitting the scent of cocoa butter shower cream, that was the last nail into the coffin of Charles Summers’ sanity.

“Good,” Charles croaked. “Blue suits you.”

But of course, Edmund knew that perfectly well.

“You’re always so kind, Charles. How can anyone be so kind?”

When Edmund closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together, Charles’ first thought was— Well, at first all thoughts left him. Then he thought something along the line of  _ mmm, how can Edmund look so young and innocent and be so good at kissing?  _ Then he realised that likely this would be the first and last time he got to kiss Edmund Talbot, so he’d better make the best of it.

And when they finally parted, he had to think of giving Edmund an out.

“I’m sorry.”

If Charles had had any hopes about Edmund’s motives behind the kiss, those red blotches of regret on Edmund’s face crushed them all.

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. What was I thinking?”

Charles cringed inwardly.

“Probably that since I’m gay, I’d be the perfect person to satisfy your curiosity?” That came out more bitter than intended, and Edmund’s eyes grew as big as saucers. Charles tried to walk back on his words. “I mean, there is nothing wrong with being curious. And I, I am sort of honoured that you trust me enough to—”

“I didn’t know you were gay,” Edmund muttered, eliciting a disbelieving snort from Charles.

“Please. The whole college knows I’m gay.”

“Well, I didn’t.” Edmund frowned. “And I bet you didn’t know I’m bi-curious. A very inexperienced bisexual, even.”

“Will you stop with these labels this instant?”

“Sorry.”

Trying to regain at least morsels of his patience, Charles massaged his temples.

“Look, can we not talk about it anymore?”

“Was it that bad?”

Apparently no, they could not  _ not-talk _ about the incident. And just as he couldn’t lie when Edmund asked how he looked, Charles couldn’t lie now.

“No, it wasn’t. It was a good kiss, great in fact, even though it didn’t mean anything—”

“It did!” Edmund exclaimed so vehemently he nearly fell off the bed. “It did to me,” he repeated in a calmer voice.

With a determined look on his face, he stood up, and for a moment Charles worried that Edmund planned to march out into that horrendous weather.

“I have to tell you something.”

So Edmund didn’t want to march out, huzzah, he wanted to be listened to; and Charles braced himself for one of his friend’s (could he still call him that?) honesty fits.

“Dear Charles. I cherish our friendship; I can’t imagine my life without your guidance and support. That’s why it will hurt a thousand times more to lose it.”

Charles hissed. Being put into friend zone with one single sentence was bad enough, but the prospect of losing even the friendship was beyond words horrible.

“Don’t get me wrong, I won’t say goodbye easily to our friendship. I’ll fight tooth and nail to change your mind but I’m afraid you won’t want to do anything with me after I tell you,” Edmund took a shaking breath as if to fortify himself “I am telling you that I have a crush on you. No, crush is a pitiful word for what I’m feeling towards you… For months, I mistook it for passionate friendship but I can’t delude myself any stronger. I  _ like _ like you. There. I said it.”

With that, he threw himself into the armchair, sealing the fate of the poor item. After spending months on three legs (instead of four, as it had once started its life), the armchair couldn’t hold out any longer and crashed under Edmund.

Charles wanted to cry and laugh at the same time— but mostly, he just wanted to hold this terrible man-child who delivered his confession with the eloquance of a high school girl, and keep him safe and loved until the end of times. Since the rain guaranteed quite enough water for both of them, he cast off the idea of crying and went for laughing while he helped Edmund up. The poor man was the embodiment of hurt pride.

“I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you.” With some effort, Charles managed to put on a warm smile. Maybe a bit too warm and too wide, but he was still clutching Edmund’s hand, and they were still fine, although they had been quite the idiots. “It’s just that I want to do so many things with you I can’t even start to count.”

Judging from Edmund’s confused face, it had to be spelled out for him.

“I like you, Edmund.” Charles nearly blurted out a full love confession but in the last minute he took control of his feelings. After the mess they had made of it, he didn’t need to complicate things further. “For months I felt guilty for having a crush on my straight best friend, then you kiss me, which was wonderful, but I was still prepared for a big gay freak-out, and— And I’m so glad that I’m the only one freaking out here. It’s just a lot to take in, so forgive me if I find myself at loss what to do with you.”

“How about snogging until the rain stops?”

It was a reasonable idea and anyway, Charles could never resist that hopeful glimmer in Edmund’s eyes.

There was still some chance that Edmund would grow out his crush and move onto greener pastures— after all, Charles had never been lucky at love. But from the way he kissed him, Charles knew that, at least for now, he had Edmund Talbot.


End file.
